During recent weeks, Alexandria has experienced violent thunderstorms, which have often wreaked havoc on our neighborhoods. The loss of hundreds of trees and extensive damage resulted in City employees working overtime to make sure trees, trash, and debris were removed from streets and neighborhoods. These efforts were recently recognized by the Del Ray Civic Association.

The Virginia Information Technologies Agency continues to make progress in returning all state agencies to normal operating conditions in the wake of the recent disruption in service caused by the failure of a major data storage system. The initial failure affected 26 of the Commonwealth’s 89 agencies and caused 13 percent of the Commonwealth’s storage servers to stop working.

We certainly were guilty of sitting a long time this past weekend, for the School Board’s annual summer retreat. Yet I am confident no one minded –because we navigated interesting discussions about raising the bar for student achievement.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its federal partners continue to closely monitor Hurricane Earl, as it moves past Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and toward the East Coast of the United States. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Earl is now a Category 4 hurricane.

The Alexandria Fire Department has hit a milestone. On Friday, September 3, 2010, 31 firefighter and rescuer recruits will graduate as the 38th Fire Academy class. This is the largest recruit class in the department’s history to run through the Academy. The 31 recruits nearly equal the number of firefighters required to minimally staff a shift of fire suppression personnel.

Deputy Sheriff Audrey Eskridge has received the 2010 Alexandria Optimist Club’s Award Respect for Law Award. The honor is given annually by the Optimists to honor law enforcement personnel who inspire youth through their example to be good citizens and respect legal authority. Eskridge was chosen for her dedication in mentoring, supporting and encouraging children.

The Torpedo Factory Art Center, The Art League, and Multiple Exposures Gallery are partnering with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) to kick off their national campaign “Keys From the Crisis.” Through a variety of art related activities, the art center will help the NCRC tell the story of the foreclosure crisis to the public in a very visual way.

On August 11, Deputy Chief Hassan Aden was inducted into the Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame. The Hall recognizes innovative law enforcement practitioners who have been central to the implementation of a high quality research program in their affiliated agency, highlighting individual excellence in both using and conducting policing research.

Rain or shine – The City of Alexandria’s Annual Cambodian Community Day Festival Succeeds

Sixty Alexandria restaurants will participate in Restaurant Week which begins today and ends Sunday, August 29. Diners can enjoy a $35 three-course prixe-fixe menu or dinner for two.